Pros: Tomahawk Park DGC is a private course hidden within rural northern Macomb County. The course traverses around old farmlands and has multiple seasonal layouts from 9-27 holes, using 24 pro and custom baskets.

The terrain is mostly flat with a mixture of open and lightly wooded holes. There is some water-in-play along the small creek, but it's usually a dry course from May-Oct.

The course provides a decent challenge for experienced players while it might get frustrating for some beginners if they cannot control their discs. Many of the fairways are long and narrow. Overhead tree limbs also come into the equation on multiple holes. There are a few memorable shots here and there.

While the course is not as large and diverse as nearby Stony Creek or Addison Oaks, it does use the available land well. The course is improving as it goes, but overall it's a fun place to play or practice.

PROS:

Low Traffic and Abuse ~ None of the BS to deal with like some of the public courses. No wait times, trash, or disrespectful punks throwing on your group. It's a chance for you to play at your own pace. It's also nice to have areas to practice putting or to test out new shots/discs.

Maintenance ~ Course is in pretty good shape year-round. Grass is cut regularly and the course has modified seasonal layouts to avoid erosion and/or mud. The pathways from hole to hole are nice and clean with a few small bridges to cross. Rough in OB areas is not too bad except for a spot here and there.

Baskets ~ The mixture of baskets allows the players to experience the different types they will likely come across in their dg careers. The added inner-chains on the baskets help putting.

Multiple Layouts ~ The ability to play different courses on the same land is a treat. The shot variety is pretty good for the limited amount of land available.

Clubhouse ~ Rivals the Playboy Mansion with tons of beautiful women hanging-out there and... Just kidding there! Nothing real fancy but there is a nice large deck overlooking the course and clean restrooms inside. A place to hang out as well.

Cons: CONS:

Tees ~ Tee pads are a mix of natural and carpet remnants. They work well as long as the ground is flat and dry. Still, concrete would be great and would bump up the ratings.

Navigation ~ Since the course is private, there are not many details about the course. Getting a course map from the owners (after getting permission to play) is the only way you'll be able to know where to go. Tee Signs just have hole numbers on them. No way to know where you are going unless you've played there before.

Other Uses of Land ~ With other things going on in nearby fields and woods, players have to keep an eye out for tractors, workers and hunters that pass through parts of the course. Seasonal layouts minimize the potential for user-conflicts but players must also be aware of the field crops that line OB. Keep your discs on the fairways to avoid damage to crops

Other Thoughts: There are many other things to say about Tomahawk Park but I don't want to reveal them all here. There has to be a little mystique, right? If you've ever designed /built/ maintained a private course before, you know how much hard work that goes into a course. If you don't know, I'm sure I could tell you a few stories over a cold one while we shoot a round sometime.

I'd love to give my course a 5.0 someday, but it's only about 4.0 right now. I'll keep the bar set high though and will add improvements when I can. Finding time will be tough though since I plan to begin working on building some more PUBLIC courses for you guys this spring. :) Stay tuned...